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AuthorThread
Nikon D300
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon
 02/27/2010 01:45:33 PM · #1
This morning a photograph came into my head. Shocking.. I can see the lighting and the whole setup but I am not sure how to create the effect with artifical light.
I want the light to look like sunlight coming through an old window. Streaming light but soft.
I can get an old window but I am not sure that it will even be in the shot, it may just be the idea that the window is there.. I wish I was an artist so I could draw it first then recreate
I hope this makes sense and someone can point me in the right direction. If I can get this from my head to the camera it will be amazing since I saw four different shots..
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Karen..
Nikon D300
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon
 02/27/2010 01:48:40 PM · #2
wow have to change my signiture..
Nikon D700
Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF
 02/27/2010 02:02:47 PM · #3
You can do it with a softbox set-up. The light will concentrate the through softboxes window and feather down over your subject.



I don't know if this is the exact effect you're looking for but Vermeer might be a good reference point...



Message edited by author 2010-02-27 14:05:27.
Nikon D700
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 02/27/2010 03:16:53 PM · #4
Yes, soft light source is the way to go. A subtle point that people miss sometimes is how far the light source is from the subject.




Close makes it 'soft' as the source is relatively larger, but this means the light may not 'fall off' as nicely because the exposure changes a lot across the frame (inverse square law come to bite us again!).

Further away offers nice 'fall off' but you'll need a bigger source to retain the softness.

Worth noting that in the image above, tape was used on the softbox to make refelctions suggest a window was the light source.

Message edited by author 2010-02-27 15:22:48.
Nikon D300
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon
 02/27/2010 09:16:52 PM · #5
Thanks guys. Luckily we have the softbox just never thought it could give that effect.. Looks like it is time to get the studio/garage back into shape.. I hope to be able to take this from mind to camera.
Karen
Panasonic DC-G9
Olympus 12-45mm f/4.0 Pro
 02/27/2010 09:55:47 PM · #6
The other thing you can do, if you actually have a window to use, is put your flash outside, aimed in through the glass, and tack a white bedsheet over the window. It'll essentially create a really big softbox, in the size and shape of the window. Be sure to mount the flash up high, aiming in at an angle like the sun would.
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